What can be said when you discover a great American rock band – and I don’t use that term loosely – from 40 years ago? I mean, I know you’ve heard them. I heard them and didn’t know who they were until I made That 70s Connection. The thing about Big Star is people love them. And for someone – me – who grew up strictly on classic rock, it’s bizarro that I had never heard them before. It’s also surprising to me because they were one of Jeff Tweedy’s biggest influences. Lyricism, developed song writing and (well, I guess) pure magic can be found in these records.

#1 Record

Take a moment to appreciate some under appreciated rock and roll from Memphis, TN. When I listen to them, I still want to like them more. But I keep going back because that’s the kind of band they are.

not pictured: dill bovre

Farmer’s Market Sundays include – swiss chard, cucumbers, peaches, cherries, white button mushrooms, yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers (that smell fresher than any pepper you’ve never smelled), sourdough bread.

And the best two dollars I’ve ever spent goes to:

Frankie Says Relax

Today’s plans include the usual. Lunch, cooking, soaking beans, watching the newest Netflix arrival, Mystic River, and playing Michael Jackson records – as yesterday was the 2nd anniversary of his death. Saw Dinosaur Jr. last night, and Henry Rollins (real last name: Garfield, and is from Glover Park – right here in DC) interview them on stage before they played BUG (download here.) Even with ear plugs my hearing is still very deaf. Accomplished weekend of writing, drinking pots of coffee and replacing my brake pads.

Found a new band WU LYF. I’d have you download it but the internets removed it due to illegality? Who knew that was a thing? Indie meets screams and shouts of rasp and moanin’. Recorded in an empty church, and used as a sound itself, this record is a new sound and actually quite refreshing. Inquire within.

Need some reading?

A due congrats to New York State for passing Gay Marriage, effective in 30 days. Between that and Obama pulling more folks out of Afghanistan, I say we’re finally getting some things right.

But the one time I watch something, I am so glad it was this.

You can hate IC if you want to (Angeline.) Maybe Green Man is the only saving grace to this video. (Angeline.)  My saving grace is seeing a twin Mary Buehler among faceless faces. Was just recently informed that it isn’t her, but it’s strange how much it looks like her! She pops up out of nowhere. [Watch out for bizarro Mary in the beginning of the Spice Girls part right by the smoothie place Fed worked. ]

Or you can love IC and appreciate some strange, geeky creativity for people to get their shit together, dance poorly, and make something we can all laugh at. Which is what I intend to do.

Today’s high is 97. I know that it is getting hot everywhere and we all are going through heat waves. But something about living on a swamp and below the Mason Dixon line makes me feel like my complaints rank higher above your dog days of New York City, or Boston. Don’t think LA counts. At least you live in California.

After a visit to Ithaca I am feeling the financial drought of spending a hundo on vinyl at Angry Mom. But hey, it was totally worth it. This Year’s Model, Physical Graffiti - with the cool building window cut outs – Easter, Joe Cocker, The Velvet Underground Live 1969, Best Of Vince Guaraldi, Charlie Parker Big Band, Miles Davis Live at the Black Hawk in SF, Four & More Miles Davis Live, Allman Brothers Band Live At The Filmore East, Blonde on Blonde (finally!) and my favorite five dollar find, The Specials (self titled.) Then I managed to find more of my records and get them down here on the train. Recent new favorites like Rain Dogs (thanks to my crazy Aunt Angela) found my Highway 61 Revisited and my Nashville Skyline, Surrealistic Pillow, Parallel Lines, …you know what – the list goes on.

As for new. There is a lot of stuff including new Battles (a band I hadn’t heard before.) Gloss Drop.  Despite the drawingly-cool cover photo there is really only one track to pay attention to if you just want to, well, gloss over it. Ice Cream.

NPR has a lot going on. You can stream all the Sasquatch! Music Fesitval shows – I hear the Wilco one is just to die for (including a new song. Stay tuned new Wilco this september. Expect a full press obsession.) Their first listens haven’t impressed me. Only because I am not drawn to the music of Fucked Up, Marissa Nadler or BOBBY BOBBY. But I will say, the Givers’ In Light is a keeper for later.

Apple announced its iCloud – cloud computing. Nothing scares me more. People tell me it’s the wave of the future. I think its just the future of huge energy eating buildings that store our data files. We never have to see them or deal with them, but who does? Where are the? Big brother called……he knows Steve Jobs.

Gil Scott-Heron died. And last night I found myself watching a VH1 produced one-on-one interview with Lady Gaga about her life growing up in NYC/BK (her and her best friend named their bikes Karen and Henry from Goodfellas - winning my heart? Maybe?) and how she was a young classical pianist and took singing lessons. I’ve never been more fascinated with something I could care less about. Isn’t life interesting? The stories never end. Granted I was at work till 1a (back again at 9:30 the next morning) for the kick off of CMA music week and a special night of the Grand Ole Opry filled with Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood and friends. So. Fun.

Pitchfork is raving about Fucked Up and Cults - neither of which I think is really worth anyone’s time. Too bad I can’t decide for you. Yo La Tengo and the National (why is this band popular?) are touring together (why the hell are they paired together?) Broken Social Scene and TV On The Radio are touring together too. But they aren’t coming here – so why should I care? There is new Steve Malkmus. And in scary news, E.Coli is a very real thing. Thanks Mark Bittman.

Yes, I know this is quite a random-fleeing collection of findings and interpretations. But I needed a kick start back. Enjoy the links. And hopefully I will get back on the wagon. Also, Saturday is my birthday. There is nothing worse than a Facebook birthday wish. I never partake in them. I try to find a more ‘intimate’ way to wish someone a Merry Birthday. So how about a challenge? Try something new.

the JEFFs

Here is a short interview with the dad of the JEFFs. I’m glad he encouraged them. I’ve never fell so hard for such grit before. My brother-brother-in-law who lives in Portland and drums in a band (bands?) sends and discusses music with me. It’s nice to have someone seek out your opinion, and take it seriously, on something they’re creating. Like sharing writing, only more intimate. Reading about these punk brothers who dressed up as Luke Skywalker and Batman only makes me wish that my sisters and I would have veered from musical theater and blanket-tent-building to the world of heavy fuzz guitars and doo-wop sing-a-longs. (Although Zoe and Kyle gave me Cake and Joni Mitchell, respectively, I still wish there had been some Pavement, Pinkerton and Dinosaur Jr.) They are a cool band. It’s just another reminder when the deeper tracks of their records creep into my headphones that greatness ≠ fame.

Sometimes when I see old ladies with sleeve tattoos it makes me want to have some tattoos. Then I’m reminded not only the wrath I would face from my mom but that I one day would also be an old lady with sleeve tattoos. You don’t have to travel the world, shop in the dodgy end of town or lose your lover to side effects of a parasite from a foreign country to have fun with your clothes. In fact this week I found myself a real lady wearing mascara (rouge is next?) regularly and a different pair of pants (fun pants, yes, that I accidentally have become known (?) for) every day this week. Forget the fact that I got chocolate all over my jeans on Monday baking whoopie pies and remember that the more pants you have the less laundry you have to do. See: link above, the interviews in in VICE are witty and highlight sometimes, just the strangest. It’s a nice reminder that everything doesn’t have to be peachy-keen and straight laced. Their publication thrives on retelling awkward situations (included but not limited to) haggling, making rude comments, cleaning up filth and taking heavy drugs with strangers. It was the music portion that led my to JEFF The Brotherhood in the first place.

Since I’ve reached my limit on the 20 allotted NYTimes articles a week ago (stay tuned Morgan knows the way around the firewall) I’ve found myself creeping around to parts of the Internet that I hadn’t frequented before. Who knew it was so big. I guess I was under the spell of the Times. Sometimes when you’re everywhere, so good and so well respected I suppose a publication love affair needs to be cut off by just that, a firewall. So here’s something new.  Before you think you’re better than me because you live in NY/BK (okay, sometimes I really do wish I lived there due to the foul functioning, cursed Metro system here) here’s a reminder of just how great you’ll never know DC is. RE: check out number one.

"MMJ"

And just as a side note. A favorite thus far from this year, and perhaps the sleeper hit that I hope no one overlooks – My Morning Jacket’s Circuital. A band I’ve never loved or hated, I’m finally turned on. Join me.

washed out

Their (Ernest Greene, a Georgian) new record comes out July 12. So far, the album covers are just as catching as the sounds.

apparently the photo appeared in cosmo?

And if you’re looking for a hit about Obama that doesn’t involve Osama Bin Laden (and if you are, here’s an interesting piece with unusual ideas) Vice Magazine brings us their Friday Tyrant.

After a shit storm of a work week, with lots of things changing and getting busier every day, I had a nice find online – a fresh sound. Unknown Mortal Orchestra, record out June 21, also lo fi with some catching drum beats. Check out this new track.

Last night I saw Tame Impala and Yuck. A great show full of rock music and trippy sounds from Aussies and Englishmen (respectively) – their last show together on this tour before Yuck goes to headline themselves (that’s right, they were the opener). I’m glad I got to see it. I got myself a tee shirt with the great Yuck art, done by their lead singer/songwriter, found on their record (download here.) I also asked for any extra posters and they gave me the one right from the front of the venue. All around successful night. Enjoy ya’ll.

yuck (also my favorite onamonapia)

I would link you to the Sasha Frere-Jones article in the New Yorker, but it is a subscription only online reading. He explains how Merrill Garbus who is tUnE-yArDs grew up in Connecticut and studied abroad in Kenya, where she thought she had injured her voice and became accustomed to yodelling her scales and vocals. An advisor encouraged her to do her thesis on Taarab music, so she went to Lamu – an island off the coast of East Africa. That is where her tribal beats and innovations come from. It is a fascinating article.

She has a 2009 release that she put together on, WOAH, Audacity – called BiRd-BrAiNs. Hipster and indie as it seems, which it is, Garbus plays with the capitalization of her name and titles in repsonse to early MySpace days: “to grab people’s attention and to get people to hold down the shift key.” It’s obnoxious to spell out and even the new record, w h o k i l l,  does it too. But once you hear the music, you will learn to live with it.

Merrill Garbus

Before this New Yorker review came along, I saw this. Written by our Programming Department’s former intern who went on to intern (and soon be in charge of all of us) for NPR Music. He was interviewing Garbus about the single from the record called Gangster. Her lyricism is touched upon just as much as her unusually beautiful and comforting sounds. She builds up from nothing and tries to take it further each track. The thing about loops is there are so many versions and directions you can take them in. We’ve all heard the same ones before, used over and over again. But we haven’t heard them like this before.

I have grown to love this record and easily can call it one of my favorites from the year. Some of the tracks have vocals that remind me of the female leads on The Dirty Projector’s Bitte Orca (my favorite from 2009.) It’s remarkable to hear all the ranges Garbus reaches in her vocals and the detail she pays to her arrangements that build the songs. The music is constructed with ideas and beauty. And it shows.

dear brooklyn-

Thanks, Mary, for this one.

Speaking of NYC, there has been lots of musical events going on. Including the sold out LCD Soundsystem mess – that looked like a giant rave. I caught the last hour of it last night on Pitchfork’s live broadcast. I caught Home, All I Want, and of course they closed with New York I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down with a sea of white balloons dropped onto the crowd. It was advertised on Pitchfork as being a one time watching event and I’m glad I remembered to tune into it. Over at Stereogum, you can watch a bit of it and check out the set list. You can also “Take The Indie Cred Test”. Which is fun.

The night before, The Strokes played a sold out show at Madison Square Garden too. From video of Elvis Costello joining them on stage (he opened!!) it looked like a cool rock show, despite the fact that none of those band members have ANY stage presence, they can play. And they did.

And with more fun with LCD Soundsystem, James Murphy did a DJ session in a series of 89.3 The Current’s called Theft of the Dial. It might be my favorite smart radio pun, ever. (Left of the dial. Get it??) He includes in his set one of my most favorite Talking Heads songs (on my favorite TH record), Naive Melody (This Must Be The Place). When I saw it as one of his favorites it made sense of how the strange rock genius of David Byrne influenced Murphy’s dance punk palate of songs that rise and fall. And after watching the end of their show and how genuine he is, it made me love LCD more than I already had. Thanks James.

monument

jefferson memorial

For those of you interested in my life, the bike is going well. I bought a helmet so please stop worrying. This weekend my parents were planning on coming to visit for the Cherry Blossom Festival, but bad weather and travel plans got them down. It was nice for me though, because I had a weekend here at home without working or entertaining anyone, or traveling to see folks. It has been such a relaxing weekend. With all the free time I barely knew what to do with myself. Angeline and I got over to the Tidal Basin and the Jefferson memorial. There were so many cherry blossom trees that it looked white, like you were looking up into snow. Quite beautiful but cold and windy, crowded and full of tourists who can not control their children. It was fun for an hour. Glad to live here, we escaped after having enough and went on with our lives.

Speaking of which it’s time to continue the habit I’ve built of eating lunch later and later every day. Groove on, folks.

quintessential

So I buy this quintessential looking bike, stripes on the seat and all. And am really excited. Also, it was the first bike that I got a reply from on CL that wasn’t in MD or VA, it was cheap and the guy seemed nice. I went to check it out and got bike happy, despite it being almost without breaks and working gear shifts. I give this guy my dough and ride home. On a bike high, I stupidly don’t take it for a ride around and just go doing stuff on foot all day with Angeline and friends, etc. The next day, I take it to the bike shop and am told it’s basically not ride able. That its not safe. I could have told you this (poor breaks and shifts) but you guessed it, I didn’t want to admit my cool bike was shitty. They also told me that a girl brought the same bike in four days ago (unique and memorable) and they told her the same thing.

I phone the kid who sold it to me, my new friend, and give him the deets on this bike. He had sold it four days before! But previous girl did not mention the bike store diagnostics. After convincing and bribery he agrees upon a refund. I also promised him liquor and pizza to make it up to him, and I get my hundo back.

today's

Today I bought this bike. I already knew some questions to ask, as having a couple days of bike talk under my belt. Cheaper than the rest ($80) and seeming to be in good quality, sold by Catholic University kids who buy used bikes and fix them up for fun/grocery money. New cables, housings, newly taped and tuned, and even adjusted for me before purchase. The right break squeaks like a mother, but I’ve always had a noisy bike. Ride-able, I took it to the same bike shop to peruse locks and one of the same guys is there, checks it out. It looks good. Told me that him and his colleagues were impressed with how well I took being told I was ripped off.

Like most things in life, there is a lesson here (does anyone feel a life lesson blog coming on?) Karma is real. One day you can get ripped off and then honesty brings you a new fortune. Not being a douche is good for you (and the strangers you meet on craigslist.) Plus I gained a new friend. Kid who isn’t ripping me off moved to DC two months ago and we’re both making a new friend. According to his living room, he rides a bike too. Riding your bike in the bike lane past cars waiting at the light makes you feel superior, like E-Z Pass. In the words of Curt Bell “See ‘Ya Later!!”

Tomorrow is day one riding to work. I guess you could say I’m more than over excited. New things, new exercise, new community. What more could anyone want?

I’ve recently (shamefully) JUST discovered Black Cat here in DC. With an awesome bar and well, kind of a cantina, serving veg and vegan foods (in addition to meaty delights.) Another easily accessible dive that I want to find myself at more and more. New things are abound. Even though I hadn’t listened to them before, Peter Bjorn and John’s new record Gimme Some is that fresh wake from boredom I’ve been suffering. And, thankfully I’ve made friends with our neighbor who is reminding me that punk is everywhere (how could I ever need reminding of this?) And bands with three minute songs rock harder than anyone can argue. The 90s are reemerging with Yuck (opening for Tame Impala!) and J Mascis having a solo album that is just as much a beautiful open wound as the new Kurt Vile. There is plenty waiting on the edge of town waiting to challenge you, make you almost unsure of yourself. There is nothing quite like it.

There is this group out called Odd Future Wolfgang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA). Known mostly as Odd Future. They were on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and have been popping up on Pitchfork a lot. I also found this from Esquire. And they were blogged about by NPR over a month ago. A group of 10 rappers from LA, they are dirty like I’ve never heard. As a new fan of hip hop and promoter of its enjoyment, I say – listen. Not for the faint of ear, they are foul and dissonant. Making their own sounds and impressing the hip hop community (music community?) Their ages range from 17 to 23 years old (so they say) and despite those who will tell me that they are boring and too over the top for their own good, I still think they have something to say and create. And people are noticing. There is something about the presence of hip hop in our mainstream culture – how accessible it’s become and where it has come from. Even though the sometimes uncomfortable topics of race can be all that matters in this genre, we can still find it everywhere. Odd Future is not holding anything back. We hear the culture, style, politics and philosophy itself in the music. And while I still feel like an outsider to a genre that doesn’t classically belong to me – every day someone tells me to forget about it and move on. But I still think, with hip hop becoming more and more dominant each day – where do discussions about race begin and end? Confidence and skepticism go hand in hand.